1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scroll compressor, and more particularly, to an oil pump of a scroll compressor capable of lubricating a friction portion by supplying oil thereto. More particularly, the present invention relates to an oil pump of a scroll compressor capable of reducing a noise generated during an oil pumping process when a compressor operates at a high rate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a compressor is an apparatus converting mechanical energy into a compressive force, and is categorized into a reciprocating type, a scroll type, a centrifugal type and a vane type. Particularly, the scroll compressor is commonly used in an air conditioner and a freezer.
Also, the scroll compressor is divided into a low-pressure type scroll compressor or a high-pressure type scroll compressor according to whether a casing of the scroll compressed is filled with a suction gas or a discharge gas.
The conventional low-pressure type scroll compressor includes a casing, a drive motor provided inside the casing and including a rotor and a stator, a drive shaft rotated by the rotation of the drive motor, having an eccentric portion at its upper portion and having an oil supply path therein, an upper frame inserted on an upper portion of the drive shaft, and an intake pipe through which a fluid is introduced from the outside.
Also, the scroll compressor includes a scroll compression unit and a discharge pipe through which a refrigerant compressed in the scroll compression unit is discharged to the outside. Here, the scroll compression unit includes an orbiting scroll placed on the upper frame and compressing a refrigerant introduced through the intake pip by an orbiting movement, and a fixed scroll interlocked with the orbiting scroll and fixed on the upper frame.
Also, an oil pump is provided to pump up to the oil supply path, oil stored in an oil storage placed at a lower side of the compressor.
The operation of the scroll compressor configured in such a manner will now be briefly described.
First, when a low pressure refrigerant having passed through an expansion process is introduced through the intake pipe, a portion of the introduced refrigerant lows to the scroll compression unit and the other portion thereof flows to and is stored in the oil storage.
Also, during a compression process, the refrigerant and oil stored in the oil storage are pumped up by the oil pump and flow up to an upper end of the drive shaft along the oil supply path. Then, the oil is ejected to an upper portion of the eccentric portion to be supplied to a friction portion for lubrication.
However, in the convention oil pump, when a compressor operates at a high rate to increase the amount of oil supplied to the friction portion, severe noise occurs due to the friction between components of the oil pump and the great flow pressure of a fluid flowing inside the oil pump.
Also, because such noise largely occupies the entire noise generated from the scroll compressor, the noise generated from the compressor becomes a big issue.